Short-term planning

A short-term plan "is usually drawn up on a day-to-day or weekly basis. It includes, for example, sequences of experiences and activities designed to promote new learning or to consolidate or apply things just learned."

Short-term planning – fortnightly/weekly schemes

“Short-term planning assists you in clarifying the work to be completed in a defined period. As a probationary teacher you are required to prepare short-term plans for each week. The plan should identify the essential learning experiences to be provided and the expected learning outcomes for the children. It should show the teaching strategies and methods you will use in this period. Your plan should also provide a means of assessing whether the expected learning outcomes have been achieved and so provide the basis for self-assessment of the appropriateness of the methods you decided to use.”

use.” Guidelines for Probationary Teachers in Primary Schools (DES, 2005).

It is accepted that the detail and level of planning required may vary from teacher to teacher, for example, newly-qualified teachers may draft more detailed schemes than their experienced colleagues. It is also accepted that the format used for short-term planning may vary from school to school. It is advisable, however, that a school staff should consider using a similar format for all teachers.

The teacher‟s short-term planning takes the work outlined in the long-term plan and details what exactly the children will be enabled to learn, how the teaching will be organised, the resources that will be prepared for use, how the learning will be assessed and so on. Further clarification regarding the terminology that is used in the context of short-term planning is included in Appendix A.

A column may also be incorporated in the short-term scheme that would allow a teacher to record observations as work is completed. This will assist a teacher in compiling the monthly progress record.

What should be included in a teacher’s short-term plan?

For each subject area the short-term plan should contain

1. date and class level

2. learning objectives

3. learning activities / teaching methodologies

4. linkage and integration

5. differentiation

6. assessment

7. resources

8. reflection

These headings reflect those presented in the Curriculum Statement and the Teacher Guidelines for each subject area in the Primary School Curriculum (DES, 1999), the School Plan and long-term plans. In this way, a clear link between the Primary School Curriculum (DES, 1999), the whole school plan, individual teacher planning and teaching and learning in the classroom is established. These headings are expanded below and illustrated through a series of vignettes based on the English curriculum. In addition to this, some samples of short-term plans in Science, Mathematics and Visual Arts are included in Appendix B, C and D respectively. The short-term plan in English is included in full in Appendix E.

1. Date and class level

This section of the short-term plan should include the class level/s and the period covered. Experienced teachers are expected to prepare fortnightly plans and probationary teachers are expected to prepare weekly plans in advance.

The teacher‟s name could be included and perhaps the recommended time allocation per subject if considered useful.

2. Learning objectives

The short-term plan should outline the learning objectives to be achieved. Reference should be made to the strands, strand units, content objectives, and where applicable the skills and concepts to be developed. In doing so, this section will describe what exactly you want the pupils to learn and what skills or concepts they will be enabled to develop. This will be drawn from the Primary School Curriculum (DES, 1999), the School Plan and the teacher‟s long-term plan.

Some content objectives are stated in broad terms in the curriculum statement documents to reflect learning that will occur over a long period of time. These objectives will need to be refined to identify and plan for the learning in a particular lesson or a series of lessons as illustrated in the example below.

Example: Learning objectives to be achieved: English - senior infants (weekly plan)

Oral language (strand) Receptiveness to language (strand unit)

Content objective: English curriculum

• listen to a story or description and respond to it

Learning objective this week

• to provide the children with the opportunity to listen to and respond to the story Farmer

Duck by Martin Waddell.

Reading (strand) Developing cognitive abilities through language (strand unit)

Content objective: English curriculum

• re-read, retell and act out familiar stories, poems or parts of stories

Learning objective this week

• to enable the children to retell the story Farmer Duck.

Writing: (strand) Competence and confidence in using language (strand unit)

Content objective: English curriculum

• write and draw frequently

Learning objective this week

• to enable the children to write captions for Wall Story based on Farmer Duck retell.

Where learning objectives during any week/fortnight are specific, attainable and realistic, it is more likely that the learning outcomes will be successful

3. Learning activities/teaching methodologies

It should be evident that the learning activities the children will engage in have been carefully selected to ensure the learning objectives will be achieved and that appropriate methodologies are explicitly chosen to enable the children engage with the learning. This section could also outline how the pupils will be organised - whole class, group work, pair work, individual ... by interest or ability.

The section on approaches and methodologies within the teacher‟s long-term plan will also inform this selection. However in some cases it will be necessary to develop these in greater detail. An overview of methodologies for each subject is outlined in Appendix D. An appropriate variation of methodologies over the year should be evident. It is crucial that the appropriate methodologies are chosen to ensure the children engage with the learning activities that will be selected to achieve the learning objective/s.

Example: Learning activities in which the pupils will engage/teaching methods to be employed: English - senior infants (weekly plan)

• class listen to Farmer Duck and respond to it - by discussing characters, predicting, questioning to elicit retell and response

- what happened first/next/after?

- how do you think the duck felt when her friends helped her?

- if you could be one character in the story which one would you be? Tell me your ` reasons.

• class retell story in pairs to develop comprehension

• shared reading with teacher of Farmer Duck using interactive whiteboard

• class engage in activities to develop phonological awareness - rhyming:_ed, syllabic isolation: upset, Farmer... phonemic blending: i/n, u/p... phonics - practice initial sound: d

• children write captions for Farmer Duck wall story

• class practice writing capital letter (F) from memory.

4. Linkage and integration

The short-term plan might include detailed planning for topics or themes that draw on several subject areas or skills that might be developed. The Primary School Curriculum (DES, 1999) provides several suggestions for this type of work. Example: Opportunities for linkage and integration: English - senior infants (weekly plan)

• oral retell to prompt writing of captions for wall story, use of Farmer Duck as context for phonological awareness, phonics and handwriting

• History: chronology through story with particular emphasis on the language of time.

• Geography: early mapping activity tracing the journey of Farmer Duck

• SPHE: My friends and other people

• Music: Composing – farmyard symphony using vocal and percussion sounds.

5. Differentiation

Differentiation is supported by a range of strategies. Suggested strategies are outlined in the the Guidelines for Teachers of Students with General Learning Disabilities (NCCA, 2007) and the Draft Guidelines for Teachers of Exceptionally Able Students (NCCA, 2007).

The short-term plan should detail the strategies a teacher will use to cater for the diversity of children‟s learning needs in his/her class/es. When planning for differentiation the class teacher will regularly collaborate with the learning support/resource teacher.

As with previous sections it is imperative that the strategies selected for differentiation relate closely to the learning activities identified and are personalised according to the needs of the children.

In the example below the teacher identified the strategies considered most useful for this specific lesson. He/she was supported in this planning by the differentiation strategies outlined in the long-term plan. It might not be desirable or feasible to apply more than a small number of strategies at any one time.

Example: Planning for differentiation: English - senior infants (weekly plan)

• Teaching style - vary level of questions in keeping with the wide range of ability. Invite children to generate questions themselves.

• Task - mixed ability groups will be used when writing captions for the wall story

• Pace - extra time will be allowed for CR, YL and RP to complete written tasks.

• Support - provide CR with sequencing cards to support her during her retell and give YL Farmer Duck in French to take home

• Response - CL will present the finished task in pictorial form using single worded labels. TO‟M will be encouraged to extend her work by writing two additional sentences.

6. Assessment

This section of the short-term plan should indicate how the learning taking place will be assessed. Assessment for learning (AfL) as well as assessment of learning (AoL) will be included. Assessment should be linked to the learning objectives and the methods considered most appropriate should be identified and detailed.

There is guidance on assessment for every subject in the Primary School Curriculum (DES, 1999). Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools (NCCA, 2007) is a particularly useful reference for teachers.

A range of assessment methods are presented on the continuum overleaf:

In the example below, the class teacher identified the methods considered most useful for this specific lesson and class. He/she was supported in this planning by the assessment methods strategies outlined in the long-term plan. It might not be desirable or feasible to apply more than a small number of methods at any one time.

Example: Assessment: English - senior infants (weekly plan)

• Self assessment - a child is encouraged to comment on his/her handwriting practice by making reference to the displayed sample.

• Conferencing - time is set aside on Friday to talk separately to CR and HP about their writing, highlighting achievements, suggesting where and how learning can be improved.

• Portfolio assessment - inclusion of a photograph of the children‟s writing samples from  Wall Story

• Questioning - literal questions to assess sequencing skills: What, When, Who, Where?

- inferential questions to assess comprehension of story: Why do you think?

• Teacher observation – use of Story Recall checklist (Figure D5) in the Drumcondra English Profiles to evaluate children‟s understanding of story elements as they recall a story

• Teacher designed tasks and tests - matching activities: pictures beginning with “d”, rhyming words “_ed.

7. Resources

Key resources that will be used to enable children to learn should be indicated. This section could also include references to supplementary teaching by the learning support/resource teacher, language support teacher, use of equipment and so on. Where appropriate, preparation that must be undertaken in advance of the lesson regarding resources could be outlined.

Example: Resources: English - senior infants (weekly plan)

• sequencing cards for retell of Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell

• “Farmer Duck”– Read & Respond Interactive

• letter fans

• A3 paper for wall story

8. Reflection

Reflection should assist the teacher in the improvement of his/her day-to-day professional practice. This form of reflection offers an opportunity to focus on on-going pupil learning and the implications this may have for subsequent teaching.

Example: Reflection: English - Senior infants (weekly plan)

“Pairwork worked really well this week as all children had the opportunity to retell the story. I did notice, however, that I need to model and explicitly teach listening and speaking skills to develop this methodology”.